One way people earned Creative stocks was by sharing things they'd
done to help Somerville's creative life. Another was by donating
to the Somerville Arts Council, and then telling us about it.

Below are things people
told us they'd done-- as well as current events and news
items that impacted Somerville's creative life.

We updated this page
every few weeks for a year, beginning on March 31, 2012 and ending
on March 31, 2013.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
3/16-3/31/13

Resa Blatman has spent nearly 60 hours designing the Somerville
Open Studios brochure/map for this year's event. This year, she's
also donated money to the new Nave Annex, and participated in their
inaugural show; and she wrote a letter to a Somerville politician
regarding the future of current artist studios in Somerville once
the T comes in. In 2011 and 2012, she donated money to the Somerville
Museum, and was a volunteer juror for the Somerville Local Cultural
Council Artist Grant.

For decades, residents
have been putting religious icons in front of their houses in Somerville.
These are usually Marys or Jesuses; to protect them from weather,
they're put in small enclosures that a lot of people refer to as
bathtubs. As Somerville's demographic changes and older residents
move out, these icons have been disappearing. For the past few years,
a life-long resident named Cathy Piantigini has been photographing
these icons, to document this folk tradition.

J. Marechal is
a Somerville & Cambridge artist and writer. She has made a bunch
of art, including sketches, paintings, jewelry, multimedia pieces,
poems, fiction, photos, found object & fiber art; glazed ceramics
for a WLP benefit auction; a permanent public video art collaboration
w/ the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School; and Common Art w/ Common
Cathedral.

The automatic budget cuts that went into effect on March 1st included
a 5 percent cut ($7.3 million) from the National Endowment for
the Arts' budget. Since the NEA funds the Massachusetts Cultural
Council, which in turn funds the Somerville Arts Council, this means
that the Somerville Arts Council's budget will go down a
little.

The Boston Review
has its offices in Somerville. The well-respected magazine has published
fiction, poetry, book reviews, and political essays since 1975.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
2/16-3/1/13

Somerville-based Folksong Society of Greater Boston has been
promoting folk singing for over 50 years. The Society produces an
annual concert series. It also offers workshops, and monthly singing
parties, in addition to producing and distributing its own newsletter.

String Camp is
celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The two-week summer
program offers lessons in playing violin, viola, cello and bass;
classes cover music theory, ear training, improvision, and approaches
to chamber music.

This past fall, Somerville
Public Schools launched their Sistema afterschool music program.
The program is open to third and fourth graders, and is run out
of the East Somerville Community School. Kids who attend receive
intensive training on string instruments. This music program comes
on the heels of the city's instrument give-away program,
which has been giving musical instruments to any school kid who
wants one, since 2007.

Since 1998, Ibbetson
Street Press has published a large number of poetry books from
new and emerging authors. They also publish a literary magazine
called "Ibbetson Street Magazine."

Somerville's Open
Air Circus is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The
Circus offers a wide variety of classes for kids-- including in
juggling, stilt-walking, and magic tricks. According to their website,
the organization's aim is to "encourage neighborhood participation
in the arts, and to promote leadership and self-esteem for children
and teens."

forum on Somerville's creative life -
2/2-2/15/13

Boston Free Radio is a member-run, independent online radio
station that is broadcast out of SCAT's building in Union Square.
Since 2011, the station has run shows in a number of different languages;
their dj's have complete control over their own programs. Any Massachusetts
resident can become a member by going through orientation, and paying
a membership fee.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
1/16-2/1/13

Thomas Dodson is about to publish Best Indie Lit New England,
an anthology of the best fiction and poetry published by independent
literary magazines in the region. He initiated the project to foster
community among editors and writers in New England and to provide
readers with an opportunity to discover new magazines and new work.

The Nave Gallery,
which is located near Teele Square, opened a second space. The new
space, called the Nave Annex, is in Davis Square next to
Red Bones. The Annex is the first art space to open in Davis in
a number of years. Both galleries are nonprofits, and are run by
volunteers.

Somerville SCAT
(Somerville Community Access Television) is celebrating its 30th
anniversary this year. Since it began in 1983, SCAT has (according
to their website) "served the community through production
of PSA's, various staff-facilitated programs, and coverage of community
events, meetings, and political forums. We provide free meeting
space for community groups, post messages on our bulletin board,
provide video training and mentoring, offer access to high quality
digital equipment and facilities, and operate an art gallery for
local artists. The channel is well stocked with a wide variety of
member-produced programs in many languages."

TheSomerville
Museum, which is on Central Street, is a member-supported, community-focused
exhibition space. It aims to reflect the diversity of the community,
and to foster cultural education and understanding. Its exhibits
have included artwork by local artists, historical presentations,
and displays produced with Somerville Public Schools students. It
originally grew out of the Somerville Historical Society, but has
functioned as its own organization since the 1980s.

The city has ten
large studio buildings, and a number of smaller spaces. They range
from spaces like the Washington Street Art Center, Mix-It Studios,
and 226 Pearl Street that offer space for about 10 artists each--
to huge spaces like Vernon Street, Brickbottom, and Joy Street that
house more than 50 artists each. All of these spaces mean that the
city is home to more artists per capita than anywhere else in the
US, outside of New York City.

The Somerville Arts
Council is part of the Massachusetts Local Cultural Council
program. Massachusetts is the only state to have such a program;
there are over 300 "cultural districts" in the state that
are run by over 2,500 volunteers. Somerville's cultural council
is especially active.

The Museum of Bad
Art (MOBA) is located in the basement of the Somerville Theatre.
Since 1994, MOBA has collected, preserved, exhibited and celebrated
"bad art in all its forms." It moved to its Somerville
location in 2008. The original location in Dedham is scheduled to
shut down soon.

In 2012, Somerville-based
Candlewick Press celebrated its 20th anniversary. Candlewick
is an independent press that has published hundreds of children's
books.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
1/2-1/15/13

On 1/11/13, Trilingual Press and the Haitian Artists Assembly
of Massachusetts held an event called "Another Face of Haiti"
at the Armory. The event celebrated the release of new books and
works by Haitian artists.

The Somerville Arts
Council launched its Artist of the Month program. The program
will feature a different creative Somervillen each month.

As of the last count in 2007, there were over 2,500 people in
Somerville who identified themselves as a creative worker (that
is, an artist or musician or writer, etc.). This represents almost
5% of the population, and is well above the national average of
1.4%.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
11/2-11/15/12

The First and Last Word Poetry Series features three poets
each month. It's hosted by Harris Gardner and Gloria Mindock, and
is held at the Armory on Highland Ave.

The Brickbottom Arts
Building celebrated its 25th anniversary. The building offers
studio space for over 150 artists. It was the first large studio
space to open in Somerville.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
10/16-11/1/12

(We were on vacation. No updates for this period.)

forum on Somerville's creative life -
10/2-10/15/12

Rajiv Ramaiah created a subway-map themed public art piece
for Artbeat. He then donated it to the Somerville Library. It's
now on display at the Davis Square branch.

The 7th annual Honk
festival took place on the weekend of October 6th. Over 35 marching
bands took place, drawing thousands of visitors.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
9/16-10/1/12

City officials agreed to ask the zoning board to let the Armory
Arts Center remain open late, cook food on site, and serve alcohol
during events. While the final decision is up to the Zoning Board,
this is very promising for the Armory, which recently declared that
it couldn't remain open without these changes. The Armory is one
of the only large arts venues in the city.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
9/2-9/15/12

The Somerville Armory Arts Center asked the city's zoning
board to let it extend its hours, get a full liquor license, and
begin cooking food on-site. The Armory has been struggling financially,
and has said that it needs these changes in order to remain open.
Neighbors of the Armory are fighting these changes, since the space's
longer business hours and increased traffic would negatively affect
their lives. The Armory hosts numerous music and art events, and
is home to a number of artist studios.

Creative Union,
a gallery in Union Square that sold works of art made by adults
with disablities, shut down after two years. The space was shared
by Outside the Lines and the Walnut Street Center--both organizations
that work with adults with disabilities.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
8/16-9/1/12

As a volunteer in Somerville and beyond, Nia DeYounge has
served the "We Got Next: Young Christian Adult Empowerment
Movement," the Roxbury International Film Festival, and currently
serves as a board member of the Somerville Arts Council. In her
own words she says, 'You know you really love doing something if
you'll do it for free!' Through volunteering, she has been able
to explore Boston, meet people with similar interests, and contribute
to grassroots movements that strengthen communities and strive to
make the Greater Boston area a welcoming place to live and work.
She believes in the power of individuals to celebrate life while
making change, and in the importance of building societies that
thrive not only on monetary capital, but on meaningful social interactions
and cultural exchanges.

The Nave Gallery
organized an event called "Yarnstorming" in Perry Park
on Saturday, August 25th. Volunteers wrapped trees, poles and fences
in the park with hand-knitted pieces. The event was designed to
raise awareness for the Somerville Homeless Coalition; the yarn
pieces will stay up until November.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
8/2-8/15/12

Annette McGloin made a donation to the Somerville Arts Council.

David Miller attends
Bagel Bards, which is a weekly get-together for poets at the Au
Bon Pain in Davis Square.

Well-known Brazilian
street artists, Os Gemeos were in town for their show at
the ICA Boston. While here, they collaborated with local artists
to create a mural in Union Square

Artisan's Asylum
is a community workshop that brings access to high end manufacturing
equipment to the public. We have woodworking, metalworking, welding,
electronics assembly, fiber arts, digital design, bike repair and
more, all under one roof. We offer training, classes, memberships,
storage space, and rental studios to the local community. We house
143 rental studios, teach 20-25 classes a month, and host more than
250 members a month. We're a vibrant community of artists, craftspeople,
engineers, entrepreneurs, and hobbyists, and anyone's welcome to
join. Gui Cavalcanti is the president of the Asylum, which
he founded in May 2010.

The Somerville Arts
Council released a book about local food culture, called
"Nibble." The book highlights local food stores, cuisines,
and chefs.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
7/16-8/1/12

Libby plays banjo on her front porch because she wants to
know whats going on on her street and its less creepy
than just sitting out there and staring at people passing by. Shes
had more interactions with her neighbors since she started playing,
and she feels more connected to her neighborhood now.

The Somerville Arts
Council had their annual ArtbeatFestival in Davis
Square. Several dozen bands played; there were community and creative
vendors; there was a parade, and interactive art projects. Several
thousand people came.

Libby goes to
Somerville Arts Council events because theyre fun and distinctively
Somerville and are something to talk to other Somervillians about
when she runs into them again at other events.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
7/2-7/15/12

An anonymous person donated money to the Somerville Arts
Council.

Robert Smyth is
a volunteer member of the Somerville Arts Council board, and is
a member of Armory Arts Center neighborhood advisor committee.

Thomas Dodson
is the founding editor of an online and print-on-demand arts &
letters magazine, Printer's Devil Review. The magazine is free,
open access, and currently based in Somerville. Thomas is also working
with other editors in New England to produce an anthology of the
best work being published by independent literary journals in the
region. He took on these projects out of a desire to provide emerging
writers and artists with access to publication, and readers with
new voices and visions.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
6/16-7/1/12

On June 27th, there was a talk on zines at the Armory, with was
organized by the Arts Council. Two long-time zine-makers
told a full house about their experiences with zines and the zine
community.

On June 16th, the
Somerville Arts Council had a fundraiser at PA's lounge. It
was a Modern Lovers tribute show, and a number of local bands played
covers.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
6/2-6/16/12

Ron Newman has volunteered for a number of years at Somerville
Arts Council events, including ArtBeat and the Illuminations Trolley
Tour.

Mihai Dinulescu
is member of Artisans Asylum, which is a large, shared warehouse
that serves as the studio and workspace of artists, tinkerers, and
various other creative Somerville people. He makes movies. He is
also part of CEMMI, the Collaborative Electronic Mixed Media Institute,
which inspires, enables, and promotes technological creativity
by providing education, shared resources, and events for members,
students, and the public at large.

On Sunday, June 3th,
the city shut down part of Broadway for the first SomerStreets
festival of the year. Despite the rain, hundreds and hundreds of
people came out to watch the parade, hear bands, and mingle with
their neighbors.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
5/16-6/1/12

Susan Putnins volunteered for the Arts at the Armory iBall.

The Washington Street
Art Center is home to about a dozen artists. It also has a gallery,
and hosts a number of events. For instance, recently it hosted a
launch party for a clothing company called La Parca recently; a
show of a number of local bands; a Eurovision watching party; and
a number of art shows.

An anonymous person donated money to the Somerville Arts Council.

On May 19th, the Arts
Council put together the second annual Porch Fest. Over 100
musicians gave free concerts from front porches of homes in Somerville.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
5/2-5/16/12

Neil Horsky leads creativity workshops at Creative Union
Gallery in Union Square using arts-based games of his own invention.
Participants include Somerville community members, artists,
educators, and game enthusiasts.

Somerville artists opened
up their spaces for Somerville Open Studios. The annual event
featured over 400 artists this year.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
4/16-5/1/12

David T. plays in Factory Seconds, a local 'honk' band. He
recently published the zine 'Blind Date and Cyborg Sweetie,' with
Alana K., and offered it for sale or trade at the recent Somerville
Zine Thing.

Rajiv Ramaiah
has been a working artist in Somerville since 2009. He creates digital
art, and wood sculptures.

Earlier this year, the
state House Ways and Means Committee recommended cutting $1.2m from
the Mass Cultural Council's budget. On April 24th, the House
body just reversed this recommendation, and proposed to add another
$300k!

Alana K. made
a zine with another Somerville community member (David T.), and
wrote a blog post to celebrate and publicize local zine communities.

Marji Gere is
a Somerville-based musician, teacher and puppeteer. She and Dan
Sedgwick produced the Shelly and Zipper Show, which
was a milk jug shadow puppet show with live music. She also produced
the Moondog Madrigal Puppet Show, a feature-length tabletop
garbage puppet show with An Exciting Event, a 12-piece ensemble
of puppeteer/musicians; and wrote and illustrated the Moondog Madrigal
Puppet Show book, which was formatted and handmade by Seattle bookmaker
Moriah Neils and members of An Exciting Event. Other ventures included
building a cranky show, putting together a toy theater piece, making
a few marionettes, and making a teddy bear completely out of old
clothes for her 4-year-old nephew.

Rajiv Ramaiah
has volunteered for Somerville Open Studios for the past two years.

On April 28th, the
Washington Street Art Center (in Somerville) & Rifrákt
hosted "The (In)visible Artists Town Hall". The meeting
focused on ways to make the Boston area better known for the arts.

Marji Gere composes
and rehearses xenharmonic (sometimes called microtonal) music with
Dan Sedgwick, and friends in Illinois.She also rehearses and performs
violin/piano concert pieces with Dan. She works as a violinist/camp
director at Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, a summer music
festival in Sullivan, NH; and teaches weekly private violin and
piano lessons to youth in Charlestown. She playing violin in the
Boston Public Quartet, a professional string quartet-in-residence
in Boston Public Schools. With the Boston Public Quartet, Marji
co-directs musiConnects, the non-profit organization that gives
free music lessons and chamber music education to children in Mattapan
and Roslindale.

forum on Somerville's creative life -
3/31-4/15/12

PJ donated money to the Somerville Arts Council.

Anyahlee Suderman
painted a mural on a wall on Charlestown St.

EA served on the
Somerville Arts Council board for 6 years (for 3 years as the chair).
During that time, she helped organize numerous SAC events and fundraisers,
and helped with the grant-giving process. She also helped run the
Bizarre Bazaar. All of this was volunteer work.

On April 11, the Massachusetts
House of Representatives announced is proposed budget for next
fiscal year. It included $1.3 less for the Massachusetts Cultural
Council; which represents a 13% decrease in funding.

An anonymous person donated money to the Somerville Arts Council.

Anyahlee Suderman
works at the Creative Union Gallery in Union Square, where she manages
the gallery's large pool of local volunteers, promotes, plans events
and conceptualizes on going projects. Volunteers can be high school
students or adults, and work 3 hours shifts weekly or bi-weekly.
Get in touch if you want to volunteer or buy a gorgeous work of
art and help support one of the poorest populations in the world!

Loki has run an
art gallery in Somerville for a number of years. She has also produced
a large number of public events and fundraisers-- both as part of
the gallery, and with the Arts Council.

Gregory Jenkins
has been the director of the Somerville Arts Council for 11 years.
As part of his job, he has helped organize a large number of events
each year; and has been involved in fundraising for the Council.

Jon Bernhardt
also served on the SAC board for 6 years, and as the chair for one
year. He helped organize numerous SAC events, and helped with the
grant-giving process. This was volunteer work.